Members of the public are welcome to attend the dedication ceremony at 1 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 17 at the Annawan Community Center, 314 North State St. in Howes Park.

Guests at the tribute will be Illinois State Sen. Chuck Weaver; Illinois Rep. Dan Swanson; former Annawan Grade School principal Rodney Miller; former Annawan Grade School teacher Sheila Cromien; Jennifer Morales, who serves on the Illinois Board of Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS); and Henry County Sheriff Kerry Loncka.

On March 22, 2002, Deputy Sheriff Adam Streicher, a member of the Stark County Sheriff’s Department, was shot and killed while attempting to serve a warrant in Toulon on a 60-year-old man. Streicher, son of Al and Laurie Streicher, of Kewanee, was 23 years old.

On Aug. 28, 2015, Michigan State Trooper Chad Wolf, son of Lyle and Karen Wolf, of Hooppole, was killed at age 38 while on patrol when his motorcycle was struck by a vehicle.

Both officers graduated from Annawan High School – Deputy Streicher in 1997 and Trooper Wolf in 1995.

Master Sgt. Stanley W. Talbot, who died from injuries sustained from being dragged by a driver who was fleeing a roadside safety check in Rock Island in 2001 also graduated from Annawan High School. He graduated in 1968, in the same class as Laurie Streicher.

Laurie said her son “dreamed of being a police officer” from an early age.

“He started as a Police Explorer in high school and then attended Black Hawk College to earn a degree in criminal justice while working as a code enforcer for the Kewanee Police Department,” she said.

Deputy Streicher’s call number was K-33 when he worked for the Kewanee Police. The Annawan Interstate exit number also is 33 and Laurie said number is significant to her and her husband.

Deputy Streicher was a member of Sacred Heart Church, in Annawan, where he had served as an altar boy. He was a volunteer fireman in Annawan.

After graduating from high school, Trooper Wolf attended Black Hawk College and then transferred to Pensacola Christian College, in Pensacola, Fla.

“Chad traveled to Columbine, Colo., in the summer when he was in college in Pensacola,” his mother said. “His group was the first to go there after the shooting and they talked to the kids there about the Lord and they led many of them to Christ.”

“Chad wanted to be a pastor at his church and when he graduated from college in Florida, he worked at a ranch in Michigan to help rehabilitate young men who had been abused,” Karen said.

After working at that ranch, he chose to become a state trooper in 2008, his mother said.

Trooper Wolf also served as a youth pastor at his home church in Fenton, Mich.

He is survived by his wife and four children in Michigan.

Families of the two fallen officers have worked together to establish the roadway memorial tribute to their sons.

Laurie’s efforts began five years ago after she had seen other signs dedicated to fallen officers and wondered how that could be done for her son.

“We began by making a trip to Springfield to find out more information,” she said.

After years of contacting state legislators, we finally received a call from Sen. Chuck Weaver’s office in Springfield,” Laurie said. “We also heard from Representative Swanson’s office.”

In October of last year, the two families traveled to Springfield and heard the resolution read and approved by the Senate.

The resolution was read and approved in the House of Representatives in November of last year, making the upcoming dedication become a reality.

Deputy Streicher’s parents and Trooper Wolf’s parents will be given replicas of the memorial overpass sign at the Jan. 17 dedication ceremony.

“The overpass will be an honor to our sons and we want family, friends and strangers to see the sign and say, ‘There are two officers who gave their lives to help and protect all citizens,’” Laurie said.